1. Technical Field
The present disclosure generally relates to the field of medical needle assemblies for the administration of fluids, and more particularly, to safety shields that prevent hazardous exposure to a needle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Problems associated with inadvertent needlesticks are well known in the art of fluid administration, which includes fluid sampling, percutaneous medication injection and other medical procedures involving the use of medical needles. Significant attention is focused on health risks associated with hazardous needle exposure due to the contemporary sensitivity of exposure to AIDS, Hepatitis and other blood-borne pathogens. These risks are some of the most prevalent occupational health hazards among health care professionals. These professionals are in danger of contracting such blood-borne pathogens from infected patients by inadvertent needlesticks from a contaminated needle employed during medical, dental, laboratory, etc. procedures.
In an exemplary needle application, a winged intravenous assembly is employed whereby a patient receives intravenous delivery of a fluid or a fluid collection procedure is performed. A needle is connected through a winged body of the assembly to an intravenous tube. The wings are used to manipulate the assembly during insertion and withdrawal of the needle from the patient. The wings are also used to stabilize the assembly against the patient, by providing a surface area for taping, attachment, etc. to the patient to prevent movement of the assembly. The winged intravenous assembly must be withdrawn from the patient and disposed of without creating a risk of needlesticks to medical personnel. Winged intravenous needle assemblies can include winged blood collection needles, winged infusion needles, winged hemodialysis needles and blood collection bags with attached winged needles.
Attempts to overcome health hazards associated with inadvertent or undesired needlestick from a contaminated needle have produced a variety of shielding devices. Some of these devices utilize a separate shielding cap mounted over the needle after use, while other devices employ pivoting shields, extensible shields, etc. These devices may disadvantageously require the practitioner to use both hands to implement their protective components. These designs can also be relatively complicated and time consuming in use. Other such devices can require lever activation or manipulative actuation, which is prone to accidental engagement resulting in hazardous needle exposure. Further, these devices may not provide uniform and reliable motion as the protective member may jam or move offline, resulting in faulty operation and a dangerous condition to the practitioner.
Various shielding arrangements have been developed to overcome the above mentioned disadvantages. See for example, U.S. Pat. Nos.: 5,108,376, 5,085,639, 4,676,783, 5,799,679, 5,928,199. These types of shielding arrangements, however, may still disadvantageously require the use of two hands to move the shield over the contaminated needle. These types of structures can also be prone to unreliable motion due to their complicated arrangements. Another drawback is that these types of devices also require complicated molds from manufacturers resulting in high production costs.
Therefore, it would be desirable to overcome the disadvantages and drawbacks of the prior art with a safety shield apparatus that reduces the occurrence of contaminated needlestick injuries and reduces exposure to pathogens. It would be desirable if the safety shield apparatus could prevent hazardous exposure to a needle via one-handed operation. It would be highly desirable if the safety shield apparatus could be irreversibly locked to prevent hazardous exposure and provide tactile feedback to indicate activation thereof. It is contemplated that the safety shield apparatus is easily and efficiently manufactured.